A Tale Of Two Outbreaks

It's your Sunday show rundown!

The Sunday shows this week were like all the worst parts of a Dickens quote. You know, the one from A Tale Of Two Cities about the best of times and the worst of times.

Or maybe it was like a slow-moving apocalypse coming directly for us all, except it was the death of democracy and not a (SPOILER ALERT) comet.

Democracy Dies In Plain Sight

It is shocking lately the ways people try to kill democracy in plain sight, and how little accountability or repercussions ever come for doing so.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said this nonsense on Maria Bartiromo's wretched hive of scum and villainy, Fox News's "Sunday Morning Futures":

Kevin McCarthy attacks Democrats for "politicizing January 6" pic.twitter.com/3zAg8FnX92

— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1641740955 

MCCARTHY: [They] tried to politicize January 6. And everyone believes what happened on January 6 was wrong, beyond wrong.

How do you depoliticize Republican senators trying to steal elections for Donald Trump while ransacking mobs invade for the same purpose? And if everyone believes it was "wrong, beyond wrong," why is McCarthy's caucustrying to prevent accountability? 

It shouldn't be surprising that Kevin McCarthy is the worst at speaking, both publicly and privately , but that seems like a huge requirement for a person trying to be the next House speaker.

But while McCarthy says out loud the dumbest things, others try to be more subtle. Take GOP Senator Mike Rounds on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos."

After Rounds went on a principled soliloquy about how no one is "above the law," including Donald Trump, Stephanopoulos asked Rounds a follow-up question that revealed how hollow his principles are:

STEPHANOPOULOS: Separately, could you support President Trump if he runs again?

ROUNDS: I'm sorry?

STEPHANOPOULOS: Could you support President Trump if he runs again?

ROUNDS: I will take a hard look at it. Personally, what I have told people is, is I'm going to support the Republican nominee to be president.

We've said it before, and we'll continue saying it: There's no such thing as "good" Republicans. They would all support Jack the Ripper if it helps them gain political power.

On NBC's "Meet The Press," during the panel discussion, Republican strategist Sara Fagen minimized the different obstacles that Republicans have set up for voting and want to set up for voting. She almost got away with it, thanks to Chuck Todd and the show's runtime, but pollster Cornell Belcher managed to remind Fagen (and the viewers) that anti-voting laws are not colorblind .

WATCH: @sarafagen2, @cornellbelcher spar over voting rights. Fagen: "Getting an ID is easy in the United States. ... So much of this is about mobilizing the base." Belcher: "No, I've got to get in here. ... It is not that easy to vote in America if you happen to look like me."pic.twitter.com/LwPt1rmA6E

— Meet the Press (@Meet the Press) 1641742028 

But this wasn't the only bad thing to come out from "Meet The Press" this Sunday.

EssentialExpendable Workers

Chuck Todd interviewed Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot about the current teachers' strike in her city.

The teachers are striking from in-person teaching , but not remote learning, because of the surge of Omicron Covid cases. According to the Chicago Teachers Union's statement :

The action will end when one of the following conditions is met: The current surge in cases substantially subsides, or the mayor's team at CPS signs an agreement establishing conditions for return that are voted on and approved by the CTU House of Delegates. [...]We understand the frustration that is felt by [the] decision and assure families that we will continue to work diligently, as we have for the past 21 months, to encourage the mayor and her CPS team to at last commit to enforceable COVID-19 protections centered on safety.

What was Mayor Lightfoot's response to teachers, who are essential workers, just asking for enforceable Covid protections for teachers and students?

LIGHTFOOT: What the Chicago Teachers Union did was an illegal walk-out. They abandoned their posts and they abandoned kids and their families. We are working diligently every single day at the bargaining table to narrow the differences and to get a deal done. [...] And we can get a deal done if there's good will on both sides. But fundamentally what we cannot do is abandon the science.

"Abandoned their posts'? They aren't soldiers or agents of the state or federal government. They are teachers. These educators not only are trying to keep students safe, but their own families. They, unlike a politician, follow the science as well as teach it. All they are asking is for enforceable protections.

Cynics among us might argue this isn't about the science, but about capitalism, because our country is unwilling to do what we need to stop this over two-year pandemic. A segment of citizens are selfish assholes , our government can't take all the necessary steps to protect us due to self-interest and greed, and our economy can no longer sustain those choices to keep functioning.

Have a week!

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